FI114148B - information - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a layer-structured and flexible data sheet (2) in a security document comprising: a laser inscription layer (4) made of plastic material, on which at least some of the data of the data sheet can be printed utilizing laser inscription technique. In order to improve the bending endurance of the data sheet, a flexible back layer (5) that endures bending is attached to the laser inscription layer (4) by means of a laminate layer (6). <IMAGE>

Description

114146

The present invention relates to a flexible and layered information page of a security document, such as a passport. In the following, the invention will be described primarily with reference to the passport, although the invention may also be utilized in other security documents requiring a flexible information page.

One of the most important requirements of security documents is that the information on their information page cannot be falsified. That is, once certain information is posted on a data page, changing that information should be as cumbersome as possible, and ideally completely impossible.

From prior art WO 98/19870, a design solution for a security document is known in which the information on the information page is recorded on a special laser engraving layer utilizing laser engraving technology. In this case, the energy emitted by the laser beam causes the plastic material of the laser engraving layer to darken at the points where the energy is applied. Thus, the desired information can be written and drawn on a laser engraving layer. As is well known, the laser engraving layer may consist of, for example, polycarbonate (PC). Practice has shown that it is very difficult to retrospectively alter the information recorded on such a laser engraving layer for counterfeiting. In the known solutions, the laser engraving layer on the information page has: generally, other layers affixed. Such other layers may be, for example, a printing layer on which a portion of the information page information is printed.

. . ·. One problem with the above-mentioned known solution is that the materials suitable for use in the laser engraving layer are generally not very bend-resistant. However, there are safety documents that require good bending resistance. Passports are one example of such security documents. Passports are known to be made in the form of a book, whereby they are required to have the same bending properties as books generally. The known structure thus described above has proved to be unsuccessful in passports because the laser engraving layer is broken: [·. too easily due to repeated bends.

II [The object of the present invention is to solve the problem described above and to provide a solution which significantly improves the bending resistance of the information sheet of the security document, and in particular of its edge portion. This object is achieved by a layered and flexible 2 114148 data sheet of a security document comprising: a laser engraving layer made of a plastic material on which at least part of the data of the data sheet can be printed using laser engraving technology. The information sheet according to the invention is characterized in that the laser engraving layer is joined by a flexible and 5 bending-resistant backing layer with a laminate layer.

The solution according to the invention is based on the idea that the bending resistance of the information page, and in particular its marginal portion, is significantly improved when a flexible backing layer having the necessary bending resistance properties is applied to the laser engraving layer via a laminate layer. Practical 10 experiments have shown that when a known type of Data Sheet is damaged after about 10,000 bends, the Data Sheet of the invention lasts up to over 200,000 bends without damage. The solution of the invention thus significantly improves the bending resistance of the information page compared to known solutions.

Preferred embodiments of the information sheet of the invention are disclosed in the appended dependent claims 2 to 5.

The invention will now be described in more detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 illustrates the structure of a security document, and Figure 2 illustrates a first preferred embodiment of a data sheet according to the invention.

The security document 1 shown in Figure 1 consists of a passport in the form of a book. The passport contains Information Sheet 2, which must: f: be recorded in such a way that it is as difficult and ideally impossible to modify it subsequently as possible for counterfeiting purposes. In the case of a passport, the details to be entered on the information page include: personal information as well. - ·, Image of passport holder. Datasheet 2 is affixed to the passport with a stitch 3.

Figure 2 illustrates a first preferred embodiment of an information page according to the invention. The information page 2 of Fig. 2 can be utilized in Fig. 1 ;;; 30 in your passport.

Figure 2 shows the layered structure of the information page 2 at the end of the page; view. Fig. 2 is a stitch marked by a dashed line 3 with which the Data Sheet 2 is attached to the passport.

At the top, in the case of Fig. 2, is a laser engraving layer '[35 4] made of a plastic material on which information on the information page can be recorded using a laser engraving technique. Then, the energy applied to the laser engraving layer by the laser beam 311148 causes the laser engraving layer to darken at the desired locations. Thus, the necessary information can be recorded and plotted by moving the laser beam.

Since the bending-5 resistance of the plastic materials suitable for laser engraving has proven poor when used on the marginal portion of the flexible sheet, the sheet 2 also includes a flexible and bend-resistant backing layer 5. The backing layer 5 is tightly and securely bonded to the laser engraving layer 4 Thus, the backing layer 5 extends to the marginal portion of the information sheet, giving the marginal portion at the stitch 10 of the book, from which the book is folded, good resistance to bending. The material of choice for the backing layer can be made so that it is made of a flexible and wear-resistant material.

In practical experiments, it has been found that the following material selection is very advantageous. The laser engraving layer can be made from a Kirk-15 carbonized polycarbonate layer (PC, Polycarbonate), as is well known in the passports. The elasticity and bending properties required for the backing layer are achieved when, for example, HDPE (High Density Polyethylen) is selected as the backing material. The material of the laminate layer is in turn filled foamed polyethylene, commercially available under the trade name Teslin. In the past, the tight and permanent attachment of polycarbonate to HDPE has been very difficult. However, the present invention has realized that Teslin enables the aforementioned materials to be joined together in such a way that the resulting layer structure can be used on the flexible data sheet of the security document, and in particular on its margins. With the aforesaid materials; providing a solution in which a laser engraving layer is combined with a backing layer. · · ·. rock by molecular bonding.

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Using the material mentioned above, the fact sheet can be completed. tus performs as follows. Initially, the polycarbonate sheet is cut into strips. The strips are bonded to the Teslin sheet by laminating at elevated temperature. The resulting sheet is then cut into strips. Polycarbonate Teslin strips are attached to: · · HDPE sheet and the package is laminated. This latter lamination is faster than the first and is carried out at a lower temperature. The end result is that Teslin forms an adhesive layer between polycarbonate 35 and HDPE.

4, 114148

The layer thicknesses of the layered data sheet shown in Figure 2 can be selected such that layer 4 has a thickness of 0.1 mm, laminate layer 6 has a thickness of 0.3 mm and a backing layer 5 has a thickness of 0.2 mm.

It is to be understood that the foregoing description and the accompanying figures 5 are merely intended to illustrate the present invention. Thus, for example, the structure of the information page may also include layers other than those mentioned in the examples above. Various variations and modifications of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the appended claims.

Claims (5)

A multilayer and flexible information page (2) for a security technical document (1), the information page comprising: a laser engraving layer (4) made of a plastic material in which at least some of the information page information can be printed using laser engraving technology; characterized in that a flexible and bendable backing layer is attached to the laser engraving layer (4) with a laminate layer (6). Information page according to claim 1, characterized in that the laminate layer (6) adheres the back layer (5) to the laser engraving layer with a molecular bond. Information page according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said laser engraving layer (4) is made of polycarbonate. Information page according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said backing layer (5) is made of HDPE. Information page according to any of claims 1-4, characterized in that the laminate layer (6) is filled with foamed polyethylene. * 1 1 *? i • · · • • • • • • • • • a * I> • · t a • * *